...from my time spent in Tucson, last spring and summer, is this cactus in bloom. I ran across this one on a rock outcrop on the Super Trail at Madera Canyon. Click on it to enlarge, the flower is pretty awesome as far as flowers go. It has always amazed me how plants can grow right out of cracks in bare rock but that is just what this one did; I suppose getting nourishment from whatever debris gets caught in the same crack and eventually decomposes to form a bit of soil for the cactus. If anyone knows what it is, please leave the name in a comment. Thanks.
All the best,
GB
5 comments:
Damsel's best guess from looking at the photo is that it could be a variety of cholla cactus. It could also be a rainbow cactus or a peanut cactus. How big are the flowers?
Damsel will be getting a book on Arizona flowers and plants next month when we go back.
Damsel looked at a pamphlet from the National Parks. She also thinks it could be a hedgehog cactus. There are so many varieties and hybrids out there that it's hard to tell exactly.
If I remember right, that flower was about as big across as a silver dollar. The cactus itself was only a few inches tall, I think. It's been a year so don't hold me to that.
Damsel is pretty sure it's a crimson hedgehog cactus.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/crimson_hedgehog_cactus.htm
The picture is petty small on the link but the similarity is certainly there.
You got me to searching, and I found this - Claretcup Hedgehog (Echinocereus triglochidiatus); maybe, maybe not but it sure looks almost identical: http://www.keiriosity.com/gallery/main.php/v/plants/Cactaceae/Echinocereus_triglochidiatus/Echinocereus_triglochidiatus04.jpg.html. There sure are a lot of so called Hedgehog Cacti!
Thanks,
GB
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